Powerlineblog.com: WHO'S CRAZY?

http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2010/12/027991.php

This bizarre news story struck me forcefully because the events described took place just a few blocks from my house:

[Rhonda] Arkley's husband, Stuart Arkley, said he was resting in a lower-level bedroom when his wife entered and threw gasoline on him, hurled a lit oil lamp at him and hit him in the head with an exercise weight. ...

The two struggled at the front door as Stuart Arkley attempted to flee and his wife, holding a steak knife, yelled, "I only want to kill myself."

Rhonda Arkley then grabbed a 5-gallon can and spread gasoline around the house, saying, "I don't want anyone else to see this house." He tried to stop her, but she threw more gas on him and lit a piece of paper. He fled out a back window to a neighbor's home and called 911.

When police arrived, they found the home ablaze and Rhonda Arkley in a locked car in the driveway, stabbing her chest with a screwdriver.

Arkley drove off. Eagan police put down stop spikes on Pilot Knob Road near Cliff Road, disabling her vehicle. Officers approached and saw her again stabbing herself in the chest with a screwdriver, using a hammer to drive it in.

The events described are sad, if not tragic. Mrs. Arkley's son had recently died of a heroin overdose. One can only have sympathy for her and her family. It is noteworthy, however, that Mrs. Arkley is not a random Minnesotan--rather, she was the Democratic Party's candidate for the Minnesota Senate in 2002 in District 37, my district. In that race, she received an "A" rating from the National Organization of Women. She is a prominent member of Minnesota's atheist community. And she ison record as believing that Congresswoman Michele Bachmann is "nutty."

That last, of course, is an article of faith among liberals. But the contrast is a striking one: Congresswoman Bachmann is, in fact, a woman of great serenity, substantial professional accomplishment, invariably sunny disposition, and almost unnatural energy; she is the mother of five and foster mother of 23 children. This sad anecdote from my neighborhood illustrates a commonplace of sociology: scratch a conservative and you will almost always find a happy person; scratch a liberal and you are likely to encounter a seething cauldron of disappointment and rage.

AOL JOBS: My Unemployed Life: The Forgotten Woman

http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2010/11/17/my-unemployed-life-the-forgotten-woman/25#comments

MY COMMENT:

http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2010/11/17/my-unemployed-life-the-forgotten-woman/?ncid=webmail

I came at this from a different perspective. After a 33 year career, the last 30 years night shift I retired at the end of 2007. Good solid pension, good medical, paid off house and zero debt. I was am and set pretty well.

The first year after retirement I worked in the construction field and was very busy. A lot was my office and computer skills but I was also a "gopher" with a four cylinder "stick" mini-pickup when gas was $4 per gallon. The extra money was nice and but I also got the meet a lot of people who worked in construction.

After the late 2008 economic crash the construction business totally collapsed. I was involved the the non-union remodeling, garage building ect.

part but across the board new work decreased by 75% or more after that.

My work is down to very near zero. People who have worked a long time in the field need the work and the money and I have my pension. Yes, these people will do almost anything legal for money. I got some going in Craigslist repair and resale but even this is crowded.

Even there, the secret is to specialize, know the specific material and market and act very quickly when some lists something at a good price "just to get rid of it" or when it needs certain repairs. I have the time, money and truck so I can jump on these. Even these are becoming more scarce lately.

http://fifthestate.net

Al Gore: U.S. corn ethanol "was not a good policy"

http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFLDE6AL0YT20101122?sp=true

Redrant: I've read that Al Gore is now invested in cellulistic ethanol so this might be a "crazy as a sex poodle" ploy to pump that investment. Greg Lang

* U.S. ethanol consumes about 40 pct corn crop (?)

ATHENS, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Former U.S. vice-president Al Gore said support for corn-based ethanol in the United States was "not a good policy", weeks before tax credits are up for renewal. ......

He (Al Gore) explained his own support for the original programme on his presidential ambitions. (READ FULL ARTICLE AT LINK)

Facebook peeks spark asthma attacks in dumped boy.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jpuLl5N_ciX9sEQ7xsOk061frUmg?docId=952d4968c7db4221a0878ef5970b0551

LONDON (AP) — Beware unhappy asthmatics: Italian doctors warn that Facebook could trigger an attack in some susceptible users.
Gennaro D'Amato and colleagues treated an 18-year-old man whose asthma attacks were apparently sparked by logging into Facebook and seeing how many men his ex-girlfriend had friended.
The man had been taking two inhaled steroid drugs several times a day to control his asthma. But when his girlfriend dumped him — and worse, unfriended him on Facebook — his condition deteriorated. (MORE AT LINK)

Interesting post I found that tends to reflect my views.

http://comments.startribune.com/comments.php?d=asset_comments&asset_id=105062649&sort=E&section=/local&start=30

What about the content??

I watched this 'documentary'. It had a lot of big unproveable claims about nitrogen and farming causing damage etc. but very short on actual scientific PROOF of the alleged connection. Don't believe me? Watch the film again, and see how many times they use 'weasel words' to make their claims such as 'it is believed that'... and 'scientists think.. and so on. In watching that film, you would think that every farm in the state is somehow dumping nitrogen right into the river, but few farms are directly adjacent to the Mississippi. Bottom line? This film is suspect in its claims, and Himle was correct in giving pause. Unfortunately, all the 'politically correct' 'green police' types are out in force whining about censorship. The film was not balanced, and it had a slanted viewpoint. End of story.

posted by minn12 on Oct. 15, 10 at 7:03 PM |

What surprised me was the total lack of comments on the film itself after the Sunday theater and Tuesday TV release.

http://comments.startribune.com/comments.php?d=asset_comments&asset_id=104599514&section=/opinion/editorials

I tend to be in the Global Warming/Climate Change/Global Climate Disruption "deniers"> I have viewed it twice (TPT/taped) and give it a "B+". ...... What amazed me was the lack of comments either in the media or online after the film was actually shown. The sellout early Sunday Theater showing would constitute a "public release" so comments would have been "fair game" even for those who had an advanced screening. .....

I posted a spiel before and after the TPT viewing. It is at my http://FifthEstate.net in case anyone wants to read it. ........

On second viewing I picked up that the captioning was sloppy (when text is white on a white background backmask) and a bit heavy on the plugs for the grass-fed beef. .....I didn't know the status of the "nitrogen detector". Clever device but there may be alternatives. It is either a sniffer or a color detector. Either should work.....

I didn't see it as a "anti-capitalist propaganda film. Perhaps a bit with the "organic" part but most of it suggests very cost effective solutions. I especially liked the tile drain tube "floodgates". Cheap to make. If they reduce nitrogen runoff by 80% that is fertilizer (and aquifer water) not needed. Both cost the farmer money. The high tech stuff looks like it can be cost effective. .....

I have no dog in the federal agriculture fight. .......

As for ethanol it seems a good sop for corn surpluses but a mandate seems stupid. The original ethanol policy was devised when oil was under $20 per barrel and corn was under $2 per bushel. (Them days seem gone). I'll repost this at my http://FifthEstate.com in case the Strib censors are at it.

I wached "Troubled Waters" on TPT Tuesday.

I was cynical before watching it tonight on TPT. Before viewing I posted this at my http://fifthestate.net

http://fifthestatenet.blogspot.com/2010/10/comments-before-viewing-troubled-waters.html

I was pleasantly surprised when I viewed the film. Overall I would rate it "B+". The negatives might be a few omissions that could have allowed for "fast ones". (As an example did that organic dairy farm have a steady livestock population? Probably but they didn't say).

It was thankfully post "global warming/climate change". With the two adjacent gulleys, one with a tile drain, the other without, the quip that it is hard to blame global warming was appropriate. The other one I caught was the Shakopee tribe representative saying that the grasslands were a "carbon sink". True but it didn't go past there.

Judging from pre-screening comments the film may have undergone some final editing. Specifically the Walker Art Center clip was in the middle and very short.

Back when I went to the U there were tenured professors in their secure jobs proclaiming "money is irrelevant". I sometimes think that many "greens" believed this. (IE: The photo-voltaic projects with a sixty to one-hundred year payback.) Fortunately "Troubled Waters" took the stance that nothing is more relevant than money to this situation. I especially liked the high-tech solutions and the cheap ones like valve plates on the tile drains.

I'll watch it again in a day or two but overall "B+"

I'm cross-posting at my http://fifthestate.net

Comments before viewing "Troubled Waters" today.

I've followed the controversy online for the last few weeks. I anticipate this will be somewhat better than some of the "PC propaganda" on the more educational cable channels. My all time favorite worst was "life after oil" on the National Geographic Channel.

That said I still think that "Troubled Waters" could backfire in the long run. More after I watch it and tape it tonight but points to consider in advance.

1. The timing of the film. It "just happens" to be a month before elections. What a coincidence!

2. The funding for the film. A lot came from the lottery proceeds. The lottery helped fund the big windmills near Northfield and study of the aquifer in the Karst geological formation. A cursory view of the MN lottery webpage winners shows them to be the "hunting and fishing" types. I'll bet 90% of lottery users believe the money is used for DIRECT wildlife habitat preservation and restoration projects.

3. The opening of the film with the organic farm "plug". Best organics might top worst regular farming but organic typically gets half the yield with output selling at twice the price. The New York Times recently had an article on the Amish being a major polluter of the Chesapeake Bay. The Amish are extremely organic but they tend to have too much livestock for the land and poor basic runoff remediation.

4. As for the big (IE: corporate) farms versus "family farms". We have had almost 40 years of the EPA which tends to go after the largest first. Also, large and corporate can afford the latest technology. Basically, with GPS harvest yields can be mapped down to the square yard or less. When it comes to fertilizer, pesticides and such these can be customized to the same square yard areas. Beyond environmental pressure these chemicals cost money just as gas for your car costs money.

5. Watch for "global warming", "climate change" or anything "carbon" mention. This has turned into a "code word" for a political divide on environmental issues. Heck, Osama Bin Laden just came out against "global warming".

6. The "academic freedom" arguments seem awfully lame to the "public" I have bounced it off of. Most people think that the academic environment is "hyper-political" versus office politics and they don't like office politics. This has been a fourth rate public relations disaster and the academic world claims to be a repository of the best and brightest. Nuff said.

More after I watch the show tonight.

Posted at the Minneapolis Star Tribune, first posting deleted.

Source:

http://www.startribune.com/opinion/editorials/94778999.html

I worked for Hennepin County in the

1980's when the first MN gay rights

ordinance was passed.

It specifically EXCLUDED domestic

partner benefits as part of the

negotiations to get the bill passed.

As soon it was passed the

Minneapolis Civil Right department

"decreed" that the law included gay

domestic partnership benefits. My

AFSME Council 5 2822 union was

negotiating a new contract. The

wanted to include a very loosely

defined domestic partners benefit in

the contract if it passed legal

muster. ......... Everyone in the

office wanted to know if this is

included financial co-dependence.

Our co-worker union rep was a stand

-up guy (woman) who demanded an

answer. We were told that we would

be subject to "sexual harassment

complaints" if we persisted. It

turned out that it did have this

"suicide by pen" provision. Seems

the City of Minneapolis had eight-

hundred people interested in

domestic partner benefits. When

informed that financial co-

dependence was included 9o0% lost

interest. .......... There was a

group that wanted to legally

challenge the Minneapolis ruling but

they needed a Minneapolis property

owner to file a legal challenge. I

contacted the group. They told me

that they were looking for a retired

homeowner and warned me that I could

encounter substantial workplace

problems if I was the face of the

lawsuit. They got several retiree

Minneapolis homeowners and one was

fronted for the legal challenge.

...... The legal challenge went

first to the MN Court of Appeals and

then by the MN Supreme Court which

basically rejected the domestic

partners interpretation and told the

defendants to "learn how to read".

..... I'm now retired so they can't

hurt me but some of these "gay

advocates" are willing to use "the

ends justify the means" tactics. I

followed the case and cannot recall

any gay group coming forward saying

"this is not what we agree to when

the MN gay rights law was passed".

........ Since then no significant

gay rights legislation has passed in

Minnesota. Go figure! I'll cross

post at my http://fifthestate.net in

case the Star Tribune censors

consider this an "inconvenient

truth".

The Thursday May 6, 2010 record start market drop.

Anyone else think that George Soros is behind this?

http://comments.startribune.com/comments.php?d=asset_comments&asset_id=93024874&sort=E&section=/business&start=30

The Day of the Blogger: the Fifth Estate Comes into its Own

http://web.me.com/sinfonia1/Clamour_Of_The_Times/Clamour_Of_The_Times/Entries/2010/2/4_The_Day_of_the_Blogger:_the_Fifth_Estate_Comes_into_its_Own.html